SGU: Season 3 (Spin-off to The Fifth-Race Reclaimers)
by Piero217
Summary: After a three-year long journey through FTL, Young and Rush are awakened by Eli only to receive some very distressing news. But just when all hope seems lost, a group of newcomers comes along who claim to be allied with the SGC—and capable of restoring Destiny. Too good to be true? Only time will tell. (Written in collaboration with AdmiralWhiteFang)
1. EPISODE 1A – Arrival, Part 1

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to a new story by Piero219 (& associates)!**

**Those of you who've been following me over the last few years may've already figured out that I'm in love with **_**Stargate**_** and **_**Halo**_**; that's how **_**The Fifth-Race Reclaimers**_** came to be. Admittedly, it's not the perfect crossover between both franchises, but, for the most part, it's the story I wanted to tell. I wasn't sure how it would end, or if there would be more of this shared universe to explore in the future, but I hoped so.**

**Then, one day, while browsing through other **_**Halo**_** fanfics, I noticed that there wasn't a single crossover with **_**Stargate: Universe**_**. Inspiration hit me there and then; in a matter of seconds, I had the very next story that I wanted to explore.**

**While I plan on maintaining a "serial format" (20 episodes per season, with a minimum of two seasons already in the works), there are a couple of things to keep in mind while reading this story:**

**1\. Each "episode", while lengthy, might not meet the criteria of a regular 45-minute-long TV episode script because of obvious reasons.**

**2\. Each episode will be split into two parts (chapters) so as to not bother you with one super-long chapter in each update… and yes, maybe to get a couple more reviews (sorry, mild-needy-ego speaking). Still, the idea is to upload both halves of each episode on the same update or, at the very least, only a couple of days apart.**

**Without further ado, and to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of **_**Halo 3: ODST**_**, ****I give you the first **_**Halo**_**/**_**SGU**_** crossover ****(that I know of)****…**

* * *

_PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE UNIVERSE:_

_After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a group of civilian and military personnel fleeing from the Lucian Alliance's attack against Earth's off-world Icarus Base, become stranded on the other side of the universe aboard an unmanned spaceship called _Destiny_—launched by the Ancients millions of years ago as part of a grand experiment to explore the universe, set in motion but never completed._

_Over the course of its long journey, _Destiny_ has sustained significant damage resulting from both neglect—due to the ship being left unmanned for far longer than originally intended—and battle damage. This has caused great strain on the crew, as many systems aren't functioning at their full capacity or are simply inoperable. On top of this, _Destiny_ can only reach approximately 40% of its originally designed power capacity, limiting the ship's defensive capabilities as well as hindering the crew's ability to dial the nine-chevron address back to Earth._

_Struggling for survival and fighting against all odds, the impromptu crew has explored dozens of words through previously launched Stargates, in the hope of finding a way home. After unlocking full control of _Destiny_, however, the crew has discovered the underlying reason for Destiny's construction. In addition to exploring the universe, the ship was also intended to collect information and piece together fragments of a complex message that the Ancients had found embedded in the fabric of the universe itself._

_Recognizing that the pattern could not have been natural in origin, the Ancients concluded that its presence suggested an order to the universe never thought possible. Through this insight, the crew has realized that _Destiny_ actually has a mission so important that it overshadows their desire to get home—and that, by pursuing onwards toward the ship's ultimate destination, it may, in fact, allow them to get home._

_A little over a year aboard _Destiny_, the crew has run into a snag: an army of automated drones, left behind by an unknown civilization, whose sole purpose is to eradicate any technology other than their own. These drones are now hell-bent on hunting down and destroying _Destiny_; to that end, they have cut the ship's only supply line by occupying every world on the Ancient ship's path with a Stargate present, as well as blockaded its source of power—select stars through which _Destiny_ would normally fly through to replenish its reserves._

_Desperate and running low on both power and resources, the 70-plus crew agrees to a plan conceived by Eli Wallace—the young man responsible for unlocking the ninth chevron. They have all gone into slumber using _Destiny_'s stasis pods while the ship itself performs a three-year long FTL jump between galaxies to run away from the drones._

_Unfortunately, one of the stasis pods has malfunctioned, and one crewmember has been forced to stay behind to try and repair it in only two weeks' time before he starts eating into the power reserves for the jump, which would result in the ship drifting the rest of the way to the first star in its path on the next galaxy… for at least a thousand years. Only two other crewmembers know of this, as the rest had already been placed into stasis before this discovery._

_Their hope is that, upon waking up, Eli Wallace will still be there to receive them—and so is Eli's…_

* * *

He didn't have a single dream during all of his time inside his stasis pod. For him, it was like he had gone to 'sleep' mere seconds ago. His mind and body, however, felt completely rested and ready to go back to work without as much as a need to yawn. Not unlike a computer when it was placed into 'Hibernate' mode, he figured. And in the future, if anyone ever asked Dr. Nicholas Rush what it was like to be in stasis for several years, this would actually be the analogy he'd use.

All of these thoughts, everything he had just considered, flooded his mind well before he even realized that his pod was powering down. There was still ice—or whatever miracle compound the pods used to slow down a person's metabolism and keep them in stasis—covering half of his body, but it was slowly receding. 'Slowly', of course, was a misnomer. Rush had seen how fast a pod could 'thaw', and it was certainly faster than this. He realized that his brain had gone into overdrive, which only served to confirm the efficacy of the Ancient stasis pods.

Under such improved mental state, he couldn't help an urging need to find out how much of the Pattern had been lost during their three-year-long FTL jump.

Upon hearing the hiss of his pod's door sliding upward, his eyes popped open. His vision was hazy at first—of course these devices had to have at least one flaw—but he could make out a red blur in front of him. He blinked a couple of times as his brain finally returned to its normal operating speed. Pity, he thought. He had only begun to consider the endless possibilities of being able to think ten times faster than any normal brain could.

"Welcome back," the blur said. Its voice was all too familiar, and as Rush's vision cleare, he confirmed his suspicions. There, standing in front of his pod, was Eli Wallace.

Rush felt relieved to see that the wonder boy had figured out how to fix his own pod after all. He also looked much different; he hadn't just lost weight, he was in amazingly good shape. Rush would have to ask him how that had happened, as it could definitely not have been the result of being in stasis.

Something about Eli's expression, however, made him uneasy. It was a mixture of relief, concern, and sadness—and Nicholas feared whatever reason there could be for that. "Eli, what happened?" he asked.

"Nice to see you too," Eli replied, trying to hide behind a cheerful tone of voice what his face couldn't. "How are you feeling?"

Rush peeked outside and noticed that, aside from the blue glow of the other pods in the room, not a single light was on. "Why is there no power?" he said, ignoring Eli's own question. He had to know if the ship was just about to enter a star to replenish its power reserves, or…

"Hey, take it easy. You just woke up; you shouldn't worry about the ship right now."

There was a quiver in Eli's voice that was impossible to miss. The boy was a terrible liar, and he couldn't really keep any issue that could affect other people a secret. Rush sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head ever so slightly. "We didn't make it, did we?"

"Oh, no, w-we made it alright, but…"

Eli's voice trailed off. Rush dreaded what he'd say next. Had his calculations been off after all? Had _Destiny_ spent the last thousand years drifting across space?

"I'm afraid the star _Destiny_ intended to recharge on upon arriving went into an early supernova, most likely a few hundred years ago," Eli continued. He scratched the back of his head and grinned almost imperceptibly. "Thankfully, while you guys slept, I was able to make some adjustments to _Destiny_'s flight path that bought me an extra ten weeks to fix the pod. By the time I, uh… joined the rest of you, there was still some power left in reserve, and now_ Destiny_ wants to try and get to the closest suitable star possible using that tiny surplus."

"But it will still fall short," Rush concluded. He stared at Eli in wonder; the MIT dropout sounded so absolutely certain of what was happening that it unnerved him. The only way Eli could know for sure about the star he'd mentioned and its ultimate fate was if he'd access the ships sensor logs. That would've taken Eli no less than an hour—and that was what irked Rush, because Eli shouldn't have woken up before him.

"I, uh, I've-I've… been awake a bit longer than you," Eli stammered. "I… may have altered your programming so that the ship would wake _me_ first the moment it came out of FTL."

Rush held his gaze in befuddlement. That statement was almost like the kid had read his mind. Yet again, something about Eli's tone didn't quite convince Rush that the kid was being wholly truthful, but he would let it slide for now. "How short?"

Eli scratched his head again. "Approximately the same distance the _Voyager 1_ probe had covered by 2010 since its launch."

If that remark had been Eli's attempt at sugarcoating things, it failed. Rush immediately reckoned that the _Voyager 1_ would've been roughly 116 AU—or 10.8 billion miles—away from its planet of origin by 2010. He nodded slowly. That couldn't be such a bad thing; depending on _Destiny_'s speed upon exiting FTL, reaching that star would potentially take less than a century. All he had to do was to go back to sleep for a few more decades.

Rush mentally slapped himself. There he was, going on to think about himself rather than the crew. Many of them still had loved ones back on Earth. By the time _Destiny_ reached its new objective, everyone he and the rest of the crew knew back on Earth would already be dead. How would they feel when they found out that their family and friends were no longer there to greet them? It would tear them apart. Just like how Gloria's passing had done to him.

He pushed those thoughts away. Right now, he had to focus on the problems at hand—like the power issue. He rolled his eyes. What was he thinking? No way there was anything that could generate enough power to successfully complete the jump… unless they removed everyone from stasis and used whatever remaining power the pods had, maybe even at 10% shields.

_Would it be enough though?_ Rush thought. _To give it the boost it would require… No, Eli would've figured that part out by now._

For that matter, why had Eli woken him from stasis? Couldn't he have told him all of this _after_ the ship replenished its reserves, be that a couple of decades or a century from today? It seemed kind of pointless for Eli to give Rush these news right now if he would've found out anyway later on. "What did you even wake me for?" Rush finally asked out loud.

"Actually, I also awoke Colonel Young. You just happened to come out of stasis second," Eli mumbled.

"Why?" Rush pressed.

"I… thought someone ought to tell the top guys back on Earth."

""Well, Colonel Young does seem like a rather obvious choice for that endeavor. But again, why me?"

"Uh… In case he couldn't explain the particulars of our problem? I mean, he is smart, but if anyone asks for details—"

"Couldn't _you_ do it?"

"Who, me?" Eli seemed alarmed for an instant at this suggestion. "No, I-I can't. I mean, uh, it-it-it should be someone they respect as an authority. Nobody would listen to me."

The former videogame slacker gave that nervous smile of his that showed something was worrying him—and he did seem worried beyond words. There was one other thing that was off about the kid, though. He'd never openly challenged Rush, but Eli did have a mild ego. For Eli to discredit himself like that…

By now, it was painfully evident that Eli _was_ hiding something. Rush decided to let the matter slide for the time being, though. It was possible, after all, that being in stasis could affect people differently—_and_ Eli had picked up a defective pod. Perhaps he had missed something while repairing it.

"So, Colonel Young is already awake and at the communications room, I presume." Eli nodded. Without any further words, Nicholas took the first step outside the pod and breathed deeply. It was good to let that good old recycled air fill his lungs once again, if only for a short while before he returned to sleep.

* * *

Elsewhere aboard the ship, Colonel Everett Young was unpacking the long-range communication device to set it on its usual table. He was still surprised not to be feeling groggy after three years of sleep. Mere minutes after being awakened by Eli, he was as sharp and ready for action as an airman starting his tour of duty. Not that he would be seeing any action today, however.

As he held the terminal on his hands, he sighed. He had imagined the next time he would use the device very differently. He had pictured himself connecting to someone at Homeworld Command to announce triumphantly that their tree-year-long journey had ended. Perhaps by then his comrades would've found a planet to establish a supply line from. It didn't thrill him that he would be reporting back today only to let the brass know that the crew—his crew—would not be waking up for another several decades.

He checked the battery, finding it was at 100%; as one of the few devices that remained 'plugged' to the ship at all times before it was stored and put away, Young wouldn't have expected less. When fully charged, the communication device would allow for up to 5 people to connect with personnel on the other end for up to 11 hours. Of course, the fewer people using it, the longer the charge would last.

To this day, it still amazed Young how human ingenuity had been able to replicate centuries-old alien technology, even enhancing it in the process. Whereas the Alteran model had to be deactivated by force—though in all fairness, those had been emergencies that had required quick thinking and acting—this device could be shut down at will.

Young started fiddling with one of the Ancient communication stones, pondering about their current situation while he looked at the box-shaped device now sitting on the table. He couldn't have imagined how terrible it was. In fact, it sucked. Before going to sleep, Young had felt a spark of hope. Finding Eli still alive as he stepped out of his stasis pod had stoked that fire. Sure, the kid was slimmer, but he also seemed healthy and in a better shape than he had ever looked.

Yet the news Eli had given him right off the bat had shattered all traces of hope in an instant. Young felt the greatest heaviness in his heart he could possibly imagine, not just for himself but for all the people aboard _Destiny_ he had failed to take back home.

He didn't blame Eli; he trusted the kid had done his math just right and that he hadn't wasted more power than he should've while the others slept. He didn't even blame Rush, no matter how much he wanted to. He'd come to understand the man a little better, and Young believed that, in spite of his selfish attitude, he had paid a high enough price for his mistakes.

A series of footsteps approaching from the hallway heralded the arrival of the two people Young had just thought about. He looked up and tried to muster as much of a stoic countenance as he could as Rush stepped inside the room, followed closely by Eli. Rush sat across from Young and nodded almost imperceptibly at the Colonel who returned the exact same gesture. Eli simply stared sadly at the two men as he let his frame drop on the only sofa present here.

No words were exchanged between any of the three. Young and Rush would have enough of a chance to do that once they contacted Earth, and Eli had apparently said enough—something Young never thought he'd ever witness. Whether Eli felt guilty about this whole issue or just sad that he wouldn't get to see his mother again, Young just felt an urge to hug him and let him know that it was okay, that it wasn't his fault. As soon as he started leaning forward, though, Eli backed away.

Young blinked; if anyone aboard the ship felt comfortable about physical contact from anyone, it was Eli. He glanced at Rush and saw it in his eyes; the scientist had noticed something off with the whiz kid, too. Before the Colonel could enquire about it, though, he felt a slight shudder under his feet. Rush started looking around himself, clearly feeling it as well. Eli, on the other hand, seemed to be staring at empty space for a few seconds before he spoke. The firm conviction in the kid's voice was unnerving.

"The Stargate… we have an incoming wormhole!"

* * *

**STARGATE UNIVERSE**

**SEASON 3, EPISODE 1:**

**ARRIVAL, PART 1**

* * *

Both Young and Rush shot Eli a double take. "How can you be so certain?" Rush asked him.

Eli's jaw moved up and down a few times, struggling to find words. "Uh… t-this always happens when a ninth-chevron connection is made. Remember how the Gate shook back on Icarus Base as we tried to dial _Destiny_'s Gate, before we even knew—"

Young cut Eli off. "Armory," he said, addressing Rush directly while he jumped off the metal stool and made a run for the hallway. The scientist hesitated for a moment but quickly recovered before following suit. Both men knew exactly what an incoming wormhole meant—and it wasn't necessarily good. They needed to be ready for anything.

"Eli, get to your quarters and start deploying Kinos," the Colonel instructed as he left, calling out to the whiz kid left behind in the communication room. "We can use them to monitor the Gate Room!"

Eli was more than aware of that little fact, so much so that he already had a few of the Kinos moving through vents to the Gate Room. By the time the first of them got there, the Gate had reached one third of the dialing process, judging from the two lit symbols plus the third one that even now finished aligning itself with the bearing that hung from the ceiling.

He also had one Kino fly to the Armory vent to keep an eye on Colonel Young and Rush, but not before making sure that the route they would have to take to get there would have enough breathable air. He was surprised by how fast the two men managed to get there. Not that the Armory was too far away, but still. He watched as the Colonel quickly grabbed a vest and strapped it on while Rush reached for the radios. By then, five of the symbols on the Gate had activated.

Eli kept an eye out on both Kino feeds and listened in as Colonel Young gave instructions to Rush, or rather, as he finished giving him instructions. _"Once you get to the CI room, stand ready to vent whatever amount of atmosphere remains in and around the Gate Room without hesitation,"_ he said as he grabbed one of the many high-powered rifles and a few extra ammo clips_. "We need to make sure the stasis rooms remain safe and out of reach. If it's the Lucian Alliance arriving through the Gate…" He stopped and looked at Rush in eye. "Don't make the same mistake I made."_

"_You know,"_ Rush said, checking the magazine of a 9mm handgun he had found, _"chances are higher it could be either SG personnel… or the blue aliens. The information they obtained from Chloe—"_

"_Anyone or any_thing_ crosses that Gate who isn't our people," _Young stressed, loading a mag into the rifle and cocking it loudly,_ "you know what to do."_ Rush nodded, turning to grab a Kino remote, but he was stopped by Young. "I need to hear you say it."

Rush looked at the Colonel and said, "I will. I promise."

Young nodded. Rush grabbed the Kino remote for each of them both and tuned into the composite feed from the Gate room. Eight of the Ancient artifact's symbols were engaged by then, with the ninth approaching the top bearing to complete the legendary sequence. Without another word, both men ran out of the room and went their separate ways.

As Eli assigned two more Kinos to covertly tail the men, he suddenly felt conflicted. Right now, the only person who knew that the atmosphere in the Gate room had already been vented was him. Well, to be more accurate, he had displaced that air—a small measure that would preserve what precious little power the ship had, as it was easier to move concentrated pockets of breathable air from one compartment to another than to keep the millennia-old CO2 scrubbers active, even at minimum capacity. Not that he couldn't actually keep the most essential systems online for at least a week, but then again, that same power was the one thing that would help _Destiny_ get a head start towards the closest star system he'd mentioned earlier to Young and Rush.

Regardless, being able to manipulate the life support system like that required a certain degree of control over it that could only be achieved at certain locations within the ship, _or_ by the ship itself. And that was Eli's main concern. Once Rush managed to get access to the Control Interface Room, he would discover just how much control Eli currently had over the ship's systems—and that, in turn, would lead to a plethora of questions Eli wasn't ready to answer just yet.

As it was, he had two choices. He could cut all power to the 'Apple Core', thus stonewalling Rush's attempts to access it, while trying to determine himself who the newcomers were and if they posed any danger before deciding whether or not to restore atmosphere to the Gate room; with luck, Rush wouldn't even suspect that it was Eli behind all of that. Or, he could just fill the room with air right now and hope that Rush would not notice the tiny aberrations in the life support system logs, and then let _him_ decide all of the aforementioned.

The ninth symbol lit up on the Gate, and with a clicking noise, an even horizon sprung to life from within the age-old ring.

Eli decided to take the risk and leave the Gate room without air. He'd leave the Apple Core powered up and keep an eye on Rush as he accessed the system while assessing the situation himself—and if Rush got close to finding anything out of the ordinary, he'd attempt to throw him off the scent. As for Col. Young, hopefully he would be wise enough to monitor the Gate room from several sections away with the Kino remote Rush had given him. Otherwise, Eli would have to act quickly to restore atmosphere to critical areas.

_Why am I even jumping through so many hoops?_ Eli wondered. Since his arrival on _Destiny_, all he had done was follow instructions from the crew leaders, the decision-makers. It was all he had needed to do; the weight of those decisions, whether they ended up being right or wrong, would always fall on those people, never on him. The only time he had openly challenged one such decision was what had put him in his current predicament—something he only mildly regretted.

But now, Eli was basically going behind the backs of his leaders, namely Young in this case, and taking matters into his own hands. Why was _he_ making those decisions himself?

Oh, he wasn't naïve; he knew the answer to that question. He was doing it because he _could_—because he was fully able to do so. It was exhilarating. It was the closest thing to an adrenaline rush he could feel now.

And that scared him more than anything.

Yet when the first traveler flew through the glimmering 'puddle', he realized it was the best course of action. In fact, he immediately killed power to absolutely _everything_ in and near the Gate room for good measure… and waited to see just exactly what the armored figure could do.

* * *

For a moment upon reaching the other side of the event horizon, he felt like he was flying. The added G's and the distance traveled felt about right, taking into account Tau'ri Col. David Telford's mission reports and data analyses thereof performed by several UNSC AIs. The lack of artificial gravity also met his expectations. Had he been a regular old human, his brains would've splattered on the far-end wall upon hitting it. Only thanks to his artificially enhanced reflexes was he able to correct this immediately, by firing the thrusters of his Mjolnir armor at the precise millisecond to propel himself downwards.

With lightning-fast motion, Spartan Joseph 'Joe' Rodriguez reached for his M395B DMR modified with the Recon configuration as he landed on one knee, his mag-boots keeping him clamped to the metallic floor, and carefully scanned the dark room through the sight of his weapon for any signs of life. The rest of his team would arrive shortly, and he wanted to make sure the place was secure before that. Otherwise, he would have to call out to them the second they stepped through the Stargate and instruct them to find cover.

"_Shields are at 83 percent and recharging. I'm guessing side-effect of Gate travel,"_ a female voice spoke into his helmet's COM. _"Now, let's see… Barometric pressure: zero. Atmospheric composition readings: zero. Temperature: ice cold. No artificial gravity… Are we space-walking right now?"_

Upon hearing the still-unfamiliar female voice, Joe wondered if the Master Chief had ever felt uncomfortable about having to carry an AI into battle. The tactical advantage was unquestionable, but with someone as vivacious and carefree as Eunice, Joe felt like he was babysitting a teenager in the midst of a battle—which, in all fairness, wasn't that far away from the truth, at least when it came to the babysitting part. He was, after all, just ferrying the civilian AI inside a modified COMPAD on his left wrist until she could be plugged into the Ancient ship's systems. "Negative, we're inside _Destiny_'s Gate room," he deadpanned.

"_The Gate room? You mean we did arrive at a _supposedly inhabited_ ship. You sure about that?"_ Eunice said condescendingly. Too condescendingly, perhaps.

"The crew is in cryo-sleep," Joe reminded Eunice starkly.

"_Still applies as 'inhabited', meaning the ship must use life-support systems—_meaning_ there should be an atmosphere in this ship, even if the air has not been recycled. Unless…"_

"…something caused the atmosphere to vent," Joe replied, mentally kicking himself for not understanding earlier what the AI had been trying to say.

"_Exactly."_

"Hull breach caused by an attack?"

"_Possibly. Or just a ship malfunction."_

Out of the corner of his eye, Joe saw another armored figure flying through the Gate, landing with utmost grace despite the added impulse—better than Joe had, by far. Her magnetic boots automatically kicked and locked on to the floor of the Ancient ship just before two other soldiers, dressed in similar armor pieces as Joe's, followed suit, also landing without a hitch but nowhere near as gracefully. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if they had left a couple of dents on the Ancient floor.

The more graceful Spartan looked around as she took in the room that she was currently occupying. It was spacious, no doubt about it. This place could easily hold around forty individuals—sixty if they were standing close together. And yet somehow it still felt a little… cramped.

"Eyes open, Apocalypse," Joe instructed before the rest of his team could even reach for their weapons. "We may have a foothold situation."

"_Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Spartan!"_ Eunice exclaimed. _"I said 'possibly' at your mention of an attack, and I meant that _very_ loosely."_

Uncharacteristically for a Spartan, Joe's second-in-command, Abigail Williams, giggled at this remark. "Please do keep in mind, Eunice," she said, "that my brother used to be an ODST. He has a penchant for expecting enemy combatants behind every corner, even where there are none. Still…"

Abigail drew out her weapon, a BR55 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle with an extended magazine clip and a customized SS/M49 silencer specifically modified to the standards of what many had subbed simply the Battle Rifle, since SS/M49 silencers were used primarily on the M7S SMG.

"Can't hurt to stay on our toes," she concluded.

"_If you say so, Spartan. FYI, no power levels in the vicinity either, other than those coming from the Stargate."_

As if on cue, the light provided by the Gate died right there and then as the event horizon closed, leaving the team in near-absolute darkness.

Before the Gate started venting off steam, the four armored soldiers had activated their helmets' night vision. Joe signaled the other two members of his team, Spartans Albert Kingston and Hugh Cain, to fan out towards the two doors located beside each of the room's control consoles. The two soldiers reached for their own weapons—a silenced M20 Submachine Gun, and a Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator more commonly known as the Forerunner Scattershot, respectively—then pressed the buttons meant to open the doors, but got no response.

_Power loss must've killed the door controls too_, Joe thought.

Thankfully, the corridor in the middle was still open, so he signaled for them to fall in behind him and Abigail as they went through. Fireteam Apocalypse still had a lot of ground to cover between here and the ship's Cryo Bay before moving on to Phase II of their mission, and so they kept advancing, clearing corners and keeping an eye out for trouble.

* * *

If Eli hadn't been so utterly fascinated by the four armored humans—or human_oids_—he would've been worried to death due to the authentic danger these newcomers could pose.

Not unexpectedly, Young had already been showing signs of a polar-opposite reaction while watching the Gate room feed—clenched jaw, muscles flexing into combat position, eyes dead-set on a self-assigned target. At least he was sensible enough to fall back even further instead of facing the foursome, though it was likely he would just go back to the Armory in search of heavier ordnance to use against them. As long as he decided against using any explosives to avoid damaging the ship any further…

_Seriously, Eli? Colonel Young could _die_ trying to defend us, and the first thing you worry about is the _ship_?_

It wasn't that keeping the ship in good shape was unimportant, but certain things needed to take priority in a situation like this, and the ship was just below their lives on that list. With that in mind, he went back to monitoring the intruders, programming the Kinos to continue following them closely through the vents. At a glance, it was painfully evident that any attempt at a confrontation would end badly for the handful of crew members awake.

For the moment, Colonel Young seemed to have reached the same conclusion Eli had. By the time he got to the Armory, in any case, he seemed content to just monitor the Kino feed while trying to determine which of the meager weapons they had on board would work best on them. Meanwhile, Rush had already taken the initiative to transfer control of all possible systems to their improvised Auxiliary Control Room. Moreover, he was now on his way there, which should keep him away from trouble.

This little respite was the perfect time for Eli to study the armored invaders more closely. Already he knew that the suits these people were wearing had to be equipped with their own life support systems, and that they had mag boots to keep them attached to the floor. They also probably had a way of communicating between themselves without being heard by anyone else. That information was next to useless, however, if he couldn't determine what other technologies they were equipped with.

Using the full array of sensors from both the Kino and the ship itself—albeit at minimum capacity so as to avoid detection—he scanned the Fearsome Foursome. The first thing he found was an energy field surrounding each of them individually; a shield, of all things. The armor itself seemed to be made out of a tough alloy, titanium from the looks of it, probably as tough as _Destiny_'s hull. There would be no penetrating that without some very heavy stuff, like a shot from the shuttle's energy cannons.

Their weapons seemed to be pretty standard and projectile-based—except for one. It closely resembled a shotgun of sorts, but its design was highly angular and metallic. It appeared to be held together at least partly by energy fields, as indicated by its floating sights. Eli could also see some orange highlights throughout the casing. If ever a weapon could be labeled as 'alien', this had to be the one. He could only imagine what a thing of that caliber could do.

As Eli had surmised, there was clear evidence of communications between the four interlopers; basic radio waves no less. But the armor also seemed to boast an echolocation system, judging from the constant _ping_ they emitted. It seemed to have a limited range, but it was multidirectional, which meant any attempt to sneak up on them would be futile. In addition to that, the group leader was carrying a small piece of equipment on his left wrist which was apparently able of getting some extensive telemetry of their surroundings. Killing power to the areas surrounding the Gate room might've been a good idea, but the moment Eli so much as restored it to a single door knob, that little device would pick it up. _And then, goodbye element of surprise._

In short, they were dealing with super-soldiers.

He felt bothered by the fact that none of these tidbits of information told them much about the four newcomers' identity. They could be reinforcements from Earth just as much as they could Lucian Alliance or the blue aliens, like Young and Rush had theorized. Or they could even be a completely new race entirely! But even without that certainty, Eli knew his crewmates too well. It wouldn't take long for the status quo to change, especially if these super-soldiers got too close to the Stasis compartments. Going by their current path and calm speed, it could take them up to an hour to get—

His train of though was interrupted as Colonel Young alerted Rush, out of the blue, that he was waiting no longer and would intercept the hostiles. Eli had anticipated that possibility, but it still took him by surprise. Even as Rush questioned the wisdom behind such decision, Eli decided that letting the Colonel get killed wouldn't bode well for the crew when they woke up—and _he_ needed to do something about it.

The foursome had already reached the Living Quarters section. He could still intercept them before Young got there.

_But first, air…_

* * *

"Clear!" Cain whispered into Apocalypse's COM after scanning the room behind the closed door. Once again, Joe felt glad his heavy-weapons specialist was so into Forerunner weaponry and equipment—including the armor enhancement colloquially known among Spartans as Promethean vision.

Half of the living quarters in this corridor had been left with doors wide open. Their occupants likely hadn't seen the point in closing them before going into cryo-sleep; no one would be left behind who could ransack their belongings during their three-year-long journey between galaxies anyway. Joe's main concern, however, were the doors that _were_ closed. If there were invaders aboard the ship, any closed room would be a potential hiding spot from which the enemy could easily spring a trap on them. He'd learned that lesson the hard way before even joining the military.

Cain moved on to scan the last closed room. A few seconds later, he gave a thumbs-up; that room was clear as well. Joe felt his muscles relaxing a bit, though there were still four open rooms left to examine. He signaled Apocalypse to move forward, assigning a room to each of them and picking one himself.

The Spartans crawled quickly to their respective objectives and crossed the four thresholds simultaneously. The lack of gunfire and the three green blinking lights on Joe's HUD indicated those quarters were clear, just like the room he had entered—a small space with nothing but a stripped bed and a night table for furniture, and a small backpack with women's clothes sticking out of it.

For a brief second, he allowed himself the luxury of letting his mind wander off as he wondered what life would be like aboard this ship. Joe and Abigail had grown close rather quickly many years ago, when she was 8 and he was 17. His becoming a UNSC Marine and later an ODST hadn't changed that, even though it _had_ kept them apart too often. Then, when she enlisted in the UNSC Air Force upon reaching the majority of age, their different schedules and assignments had just made things more difficult.

If it was true that the Spartans' involvement in the mission wouldn't really go beyond performing off-world recon from time to time, perhaps they would finally be able to spend more time together as they'd always wanted. After all, this would essentially become home. But first they had to ensure that their new home was in good condition and free of hostiles. And for that, they needed to get to the Cryo Bay.

"_Hang on,"_ Eunice chimed in. _"I'm getting atmospheric readings in the area around the next bend. Artificial gravity and trace levels of power too."_

"That's progress,"Kingston said.

"_Yeah, except those readings were nonexistent ten seconds ago."_

Joe snapped back into full-Spartan mode, his grip around his DMR tightening again. "Someone has control of the ship's systems," he said, clearly understanding this time what the AI was implying.

True enough, a dim light gradually started to illuminate the bend before them—and, though his motion tracker seemed clear, Joe was certain he could hear footsteps approaching cautiously. Paying extra attention to said tracker, he stood and took cover at the hall corner, his squad following closely behind. He took a deep breath and quickly aimed down the adjacent hallway.

"Whoa, please don't shoot!" a young black-haired boy in his early twenties exclaimed, putting his hands in the air. Though visibly scared, the guy—dressed in an oversized red shirt with a phrase that read 'YOU ARE HERE' and just as oversized denim pants—managed to muster a shy smile. "I… come in peace?"

"Identify," Joe demanded while signaling his team to get in position for any possible ambush.

"I'm… with the crew," the guy said hesitantly. That wasn't an answer, but You Are Here seemed honest enough, and Joe's instinct told him the young man was harmless. In fact, upon closer inspection—and if one overlooked the slightly overgrown beard, slimmer frame, and overall castaway appearance—the guy looked a lot like the whiz kid who had cracked the nine-chevron puzzle, according to the briefing packet he'd read. Joe might not have had privileged eidetic memory, but he never forgot a face.

Apocalypse had undergone several War Games scenarios aboard _Destiny_ in order to be prepared for this mission. This was certainly not one of them. Not a single crew member should've been awake, not with the ship in its current state anyway. But, if at least one of them was, maybe the ship was not entirely imperiled as the brass back home thought; moreover, this young man might be able to help him accomplish Apocalypse's mission.

Still, in a mission this important, Joe had a responsibility; his job was to assess beyond any shadow of doubt that he was who he claimed to be. "Don't move," he commanded, keeping his DMR trained at the guy while aiming the COMPAD on his left wrist at him. "Eunice?"

"_Yes?"_ the AI's disembodied voice replied through the COMPAD's minuscule speaker.

"Can you run facial recognition on this guy?"

There was a very brief moment of silence, something that was still unusual for an AI. _"On… which guy?"_

_This is what I get for working with a civilian AI_, Joe thought_._ "The guy standing right in front of me. Can you find him on crew records?"

Another silent second passed by. _"Are you okay, Spartan? There's—"_

"Eli, what are you doing?!" a gravelly voice shouted behind the young man before Eunice could finish her sentence. Instinctively, Joe shifted his aim towards an older man standing across the hallway at the opposite corner, annoyed that he had allowed himself to get distracted by the civilian. The other person had probably crouched all the way up to that corner; it was the only way he could've slipped Joe's motion sensor. 'Eli' had just been a textbook distraction… except for the fact that the other individual apparently hadn't expected to see him there.

The black-haired man raised a heavy rifle in response, just as quickly as Joe had—but not before the Spartan could catch a glimpse of the name patch on his black fatigues. Between that and the unmistakable face he was now looking at, Joe knew he had found his objective. He hadn't expected _him_ to be out of cryo-sleep, but if he was, all the better. "Colonel Young, sir!" he exclaimed, lowering the DMR and managing a crisp salute.

"Who are you?" the older man yelled, raising an eyebrow while still aiming at Joe. The Spartan remained unfazed, knowing that his armor could soak up a whole lot of punishment from a standard weapon like the one currently trained at him.

"Spartan Joseph Rodriguez with the UNSC," Joe replied, maintaining the salute. He figured the best way to prove to Colonel Young that he and his Spartans were no threat, although he knew the other three members of Apocalypse behind him would still be in combat positions and weapons-at-the-ready. "Your presence has been requested back home for a mission briefing, sir."

"UNSC?" Joe heard Col. Young mutter, as if tasting the acronym. Then the man raised his voice again. "I don't recognize the authority."

"_Does 'Homeworld Command' ring any bells… sir?"_

In spite of himself, Joe was a little amused at Col. Young's face as the lively AI spoke again through the COMPAD. "What was that?" the Colonel gestured at the device attached to Joe's wrist.

"_Oh where are my manners?"_ the AI replied before Joe could explain. _"I apologize, sir, I'm Eunice. I have a little present for you from the brass back home. Maybe this can put your mind at ease?" _Col. Young waited in awkward silence for a few seconds before Eunice 'cleared her throat' and spoke again in an exaggerated whisper. _"Break the salute and raise your wrist, Spartan Rodriguez. Please."_

Through his COM, Joe heard a soft snort which could only belong to Abigail. He suppressed the urge to scoff himself. He had realized right away what Eunice meant by 'present'. He knew the message would only play from the COMPAD's holo-emitter, which would only work when his wrist was raised in a certain position. He also had anticipated that Eunice would likely scold the Spartan for not playing his part sooner.

Yes, he had a reputation as a stern, uptight soldier, but that didn't mean he didn't have a sense of humor. And he hoped that this small shenanigan of his might just make for a humorous enough scene to help the Colonel lighten up a little.

Thus, he pretended for another moment to have no clue what Eunice was talking about, and then made a show of 'realizing' what he had to do. He broke the salute, holstered his DMR on the back of his armor, and bent his left arm up to his chest. A small hologram of a seasoned U.S. Air Force General from the Tau'ri emerged from the projector as the message started playing.

"_Hey, Everett. Sleep well? Oh, what am I saying, no one ever sleeps wells on those things. Anyway, I need you to get your mental butt back here, and I need it here yesterday. There's a whole lot o' stuff I need you to get up-to-speed on. In the meantime, though, here's a spoiler alert for ya: You're getting help. Yeah, you heard that right. So, fire up that ol' stone terminal and get over here stat, pronto, kaput." _The General's hologram did not fade as he finished those words, not for another few seconds at least. He just stood there awkwardly until he finally added:_ "That's it; you can shut that recorder o—"_

* * *

Young kept the same stance even after the hologram finally disappeared, his weapon still aimed in the general direction of the 'Spartan'. He didn't trust these faceless soldiers, no matter how much he wanted to, not even with the message they'd just showed him. The General Jack O'Neill in that recording certainly seemed like the real deal, from the effusiveness with which he waved his hands around to the tiniest little quirks only those close to him could notice.

But all those years serving with the SGC had taught him that anything was possible with the correct alien technology—including faking a message from someone he knew and trusted. "How can I know that message is legit?" he openly challenged at last.

"_You can't,"_ replied the female voice that had introduced herself as Eunice_. "It could be a fake, or General O'Neill could've been coerced into recording it. But please consider this: would a team of heavily-armored and well-armed soldiers __equipped with a fourth-generation Artificial Intelligence __leave you and your crew alive if we were your enemies?"_

"Well, if you put it that way…" said Eli, who had already lowered his arms minutes ago. But Young would have none of it.

"Appearances may be deceiving," Young said.

"One man's ceiling is another man's floor," another hologram said as it fully materialized into existence from the soldier's wrist device—not a pre-recorded message but an actual, seemingly living entity. She had the appearance of a young girl, no older than 20, with purple/blue skin and eyes. She had soft facial features and long, dark hair decorated with glitter, same as the sleeveless, knee-length party dress she wore.

Young figured this could be Eunice, the woman—or, rather, the AI—who had previously introduced herself. He nearly shook his head involuntarily. This was not what he would've expected for his first encounter with an artificial intelligence, and he certainly never would've expected it to be man-made or Earth-made or whatever. He'd read his fair share of mission reports from both SGC and Atlantis personnel detailing such encounters, and the general sentiment was _anti_-AI. Understandable, considering that one of the biggest enemies made since the discovery of the Stargate were the Replicators, and most other AI had overstepped their boundaries, mostly with SG-1. And that, perhaps, was putting it lightly.

What struck Young as uncanny about this AI was just how much it acted like a human. She had a sly smile on her face as she had said those seven words, the way one may make when they had made a breakthrough. He lowered his rifle ever so slightly, finally trying to wrap his head around the incident the blue-purple holographic humanoid might be referring to. "A fool's paradise is a wise man's hell," he said eventually.

"Never run with scissors!" Eunice replied, flickering and clapping excitedly.

"You gotta be kidding me."

Eli looked back and forth between the pair, confused. "Am I missing something here?"

Colonel Young reluctantly lowered his gun all the way and looked over at the boy. "It's something General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson once said to each other when he was still a Colonel. It's just useless banter to many, but it might just prove that he sent these people." Eunice beamed at this statement, swaying from left to right her hands behind her back in a gloating manner.

He couldn't believe it. Never in a million years would he have thought that the General would use something like that to confirm his identity. The fact was that very few even knew about the conversation; the only reason Young was among those few was because he'd heard it in passing about a decade ago, on his fourth day as a newly-instated SG team leader.

Everett had hoped for something more tangible that would give him enough reason to trust these newcomers 'Spartans', but those last four words the AI had spoken made the Colonel give them the benefit of the doubt…. if only for a while. Even if they were about scissors.

"It is our understanding that you need to use Ancient communication stones to contact Earth, correct?" Spartan Joe said, finally lowering his left arm which made the hologram disappear. Eunice began complaining about that while the Colonel simply nodded in response. Then the Spartan reached back for his rifle and assumed an escort stance; the other three armored soldiers followed suit. "Lead the way, sir."

Young turned around and started walking down the same hallway he'd come from, but not before glaring at Eli. He wasn't happy that the kid had jumped so blatantly into the line of fire, even if things had turned out good… so far. Eli looked down sheepishly and left in the opposite direction—and again Young got the feeling that something was different about Eli. Even when berated, the kid would've never passed up the opportunity to learn more about these super-soldiers. Yet again, he put a pin on that thought for later.

While on his way to the Communications room, he clicked on his radio twice then once. It was an all-clear signal he'd instructed Rush to keep an eye out for in case the intruders turned out not to be hostile. Young knew that Rush would've kept monitoring the Kino feed at the same time he transferred control of the ship to their tried-and-true secondary control room. Hopefully, now that he had the Spartans' attention, Rush could just let the transfer continue on its own to stay with the four soldiers while he used the stones.

About five minutes later, during which no further words were exchanged, the small party reached the intended room where, indeed, Rush was already waiting—and he wasn't alone. There was a Kino next to him, which actually helped put Young's mind at rest a little regarding Eli. The boy wasn't shying away from learning about the newcomers; he was just making sure to do so from a safer location. It almost made up for the stupidity of jumping in front of their guns not fifteen minutes earlier.

"Spartan Rodriguez, this is Dr. Nicholas Rush," Young said, assuming that 'Spartan' was actually something of a rank or title reserved for whomever could wear such high-tech armor.

The soldier nodded respectfully at Rush but didn't salute; after all, this was a civilian. Rush, on the other hand, didn't even bother returning the nod. He just stared for a few seconds then continued setting up the stone terminal, or, rather, he continued pretending to do so. Noticing that the stones themselves were no longer on the table but back in their case, Young decided to join in the act. As he grabbed one of them, he whispered close to Rush's ear. "If something goes wrong…"

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep the crew safe," the scientist replied in an equally low tone.

The Colonel nodded at Rush, then at the Kino, and finally he sat on one of the stools, mentally preparing himself for the transfer. Whatever happened once the mind swap was made, he was at least confident that Rush and Eli were ready for anything. His only hope as he put the stone on the illuminated plate was that all of these concerns would end up being moot.

…

It was always weird to close his eyes and find himself transported across several million light years to a different body, usually that of an Airman; this time wasn't any different. The transfer took milliseconds, and Colonel Young found himself in a room covered with screens and monitors not unlike the ones found at the Homeworld Command Communications room. He did notice, however, that a grey color had replaced the white walls.

As he stared into the image of the person he'd just switched places with on one of the screens, he felt even more dumbfounded. The uniform he wore—black-grey, with one badge and three rank bars embroidered in gold thread on the neck, epaulettes, and cuffs, and a pair of shoulder pads and one large pauldron on the left side—looked more like Navy than Air Force, and even then, it felt foreign, out of place.

"I'm Colonel Young," he told the Airman standing guard as he stood up, trying not to feel too bothered by such a minutia. At least something remained the same as before; SG personnel were still present here. "I need to speak to General O'Neill immediately."

The Airman nodded. "We've been expecting you. This way, please, sir." He quickly opened the door out of the room—and Young entered into the wide hallways of what looked like a _Daedalus_-class warship.

Young was confused. The communication room in the Milky Way had been in a section of the Pentagon. He had been assuming he was planet-side, not on a spaceship. It was rather unusual for the SGC to shift their room off-world. No, what was unusual was the fact that the hallways were considerably wider than what was standard for warships built by the SGC. Even most of the men and women walking through them did not look like the ones employed by the SGC. Steel catwalks layered over the hallway's base which ran the entire length of it.

No, this was definitely not a _Daedalus_-class warship. Maybe a newer design made by SG personnel? It still didn't explain the story of the others.

Before he could ask the Airman, the two men had reached the end of the hallway. The Airman ushered the Colonel into a room guarded by two men wearing not standard SGC uniform but, instead, light-grey bulletproof vests with white shoulder and elbow pads along with white shin-guarded boots. A black utility pouch hung around their waist, equipped with grenades and a handgun the likes of which he had never seen before.

The rifle they held, on the other hand, he had seen in the hands of one of the armored people who had just boarded _Destiny_. Its design was unfamiliar and strange, but Colonel Young knew from experience never to judge a weapon on its appearance; the Goa'uld staff weapon was one such weapon, definitely not to be underestimated at any cost. He entered the room and the door automatically closed behind him.

"Colonel Young, I presume?"

Unexpectedly, Doctor Daniel Jackson was standing next to a table with the chair drawn back, which suggested the man had been sitting when the Colonel had entered. He stepped over to the Colonel with his hand outstretched in greeting. "It's good to hear from you."

Young shook the archaeologist's hand out of courtesy, though he was now more confused by the civilian's presence here than he'd been so far. "Dr. Jackson? What… what are you doing here? Where's General O'Neill?"

"Oh, Jack's back on Earth," the archaeologist said nonchalantly. "But don't worry; he will still be able to join us via hologram for this briefing."

"Hologram? Dr. Jackson, what's going on? What is this place? And who are all these people?"

"That is one of the many things we would like to discuss with you in this briefing, Colonel."

Young gave a small, bemused chuckle. "I don't even know what this briefing is about. Can't you just tell… me…"

Something caught the corner of his eye. His jaw slacked off and his leg took an involuntary step forward towards a window on the other side of the room which beheld the artificial structure this ship seemed to be stationed next to. He had been so focused on Dr. Jackson and the rest of his immediate surroundings that it had completely slipped from his vision. Or maybe it had been the after-effects of the stasis pod on his consciousness. Nevertheless, the sight before him was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

'Massive' couldn't even begin to describe it. Young had never been one to accurately estimate sizes; even if he had been, and if he'd tried to calculate the diameter of the impossibly perfect ring-shaped construct, he was sure he would've been off. But the size wasn't really what took his breath away; it was its inner surface, green and blue and white, covered in oceans and landmasses with all kinds of different environments. A magnificent artificial world that couldn't have been created by human hands—or even Ancient hands, if what they knew of that alien race was any indication. It certainly couldn't have been created by these people… or at least he imagined so.

So… _who_ had built this? And, more to the point, _where_ were its builders? Could they also be close by, perhaps aboard this very ship?

"You will find that much has changed in the last three-and-a-half years," Dr. Jackson said.


	2. EPISODE 1B – Arrival, Part 1

The first thing Colonel Young did—or, rather, whoever had switched places with Colonel Young—after placing the stone on the terminal was look at his hands intently. Not such an uncommon thing to do for anyone who used the stones for the first time. But that gave Rush the first hint that this person wasn't one of the usual airmen who had rotated with them several times. And he wasn't unprepared for this occasion either. Rush had had the decency to put, beside the stone terminal, the mirror that had been 'donated' by one of the civilian crewmembers. That was the next thing the 'Colonel' fixed his eyes on.

"This is… strange…" 'Young' said as he gazed upon his reflection, not concerned but genuinely amazed.

"Who are you?" Rush asked cautiously, deciding not to waste any time.

'Young' instantly looked at the source of the voice that had addressed him. "Dr. Rush, I presume," he said, smiling beatifically. He stood and stretched out a hand. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Thomas Lasky."

Rush did not shake the hand, nor would he have had the chance before the four Spartans saluted briskly. "Captain Lasky, sir!" exclaimed the leader of the armored squad.

Lasky noticed Rush's reluctance to accept his hand and didn't push further. Instead, he simply nodded before turning and saluting back to the Spartans. "Great job, Apocalypse. At ease," he said, before walking up to the window and breathing a sigh of awe. "So, this is the other side of the universe… aboard _Destiny_. She's a beauty."

Rush raised an eyebrow, slowly moving towards the room entrance. "It's just like any other region of space if you ask me, but… excuse me, Mr. Lasky…" he said, intentionally plucking the 'Captain' out of his absorption. "I don't think you have answered my question yet. Since we've already had to endure the abrupt boarding of our ship by your armored squad…" he said, waving at Fireteam Apocalypse.

The Captain held a confused gaze for a moment before he realized what Rush was actually inquiring about. "Oh, you mean to ask 'who are we', collectively?" he tried to confirm, chuckling. Rush kept a straight face, though deep inside he could feel his patience running thin. "Okay, short answer is, we're from Earth. Just not the Earth you're familiar with." The long-haired scientist didn't bat an eye, though he did raise an eyebrow. "You could say I'm from a future Earth… or a potential future Earth… I think. That bit goes above me."

As Rush remained quiet, still not biting to the Captain's lingering statement, Lasky finally began to show signs of mild discomfort. _Good_, Rush thought. He wasn't about to be fooled by an apparent mild-mannered character. If this was a front—and if the guy was good at keeping it for long enough—already Rush had an inkling of what the interloper could do in response to an awkward situation. Lasky eventually cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension as he half-stepped awkwardly towards the hallway behind Rush. Rather predictably, he was now setting all passiveness aside. "Why don't you show us around?" he asked. "I'll give you the long version as we go."

"I don't think so," Rush deadpanned, not shifting an inch from where he stood. "The stones terminal must remain under constant supervision whenever in use in case something goes wrong, and I still—"

"I can stay."

As though he had just materialized outside the room, Eli stood a couple of feet behind Rush. The Spartans were completely spooked by the sudden appearance of the boy, all hands on their high-tech firearms before realizing it was Eli. Out of the corner of his eye, Rush saw Captain Lasky knitting his eyebrows in concern. Eli didn't flinch as he continued to look at Rush.

"I think I have enough knowledge on how the stones work," he continued, "so… I can monitor the terminal."

The older man glared at Eli for a few seconds longer, hoping he would understand why he was using that argument about the terminal. Eli simply shrugged. Not that any of it mattered anyway; Rush had no problem whatsoever with speaking his mind openly about the newcomers, and he'd fully intended to do just that before Eli had barged in.

"…and I still don't trust you enough to 'show you around'," he finished his sentence slowly, stressing the last three words sardonically.

The tension that fell upon the room was so thick that Rush could try cutting it with a hot knife and it still wouldn't budge. He could feel it down to his bone. After what fell like hours, Lasky made a soft gesture towards the Spartans; they, in turn, relaxed a little before removed their helmets. For the first time since their arrival, Rush questioned his own mistrust. Behind the stoic countenance of the three men and the one woman—typical of well-trained soldiers—he couldn't find the contempt or hatred or resentment he'd found in the Lucian Alliance soldiers years ago. What he saw here instead was respect and camaraderie, as if they were equals. Such a thing could hardly be faked… but it still begged the question.

What had happened in the time they were asleep?

"Given your history aboard this ship, I understand your reluctance to trust anyone who crosses that event horizon and isn't part of Stargate Command," Lasky said, almost apologetically. "But I can assure you that we're friends of the Tau'ri who only have this ship and crew's best interests in mind.

"Listen," the Captain continued when Rush still hesitated, "we anticipated the possibility that someone else might be awake—or might need to be awakened—along with Colonel Young, so I'm here to brief anyone in that list of people of the same thing Young is being told about. It's a lot of information to process, and it might be less… boring if I tell you all of it while you give me a tour of _Destiny_."

Rush had to give these people their due. Compelling arguments aside, the Captain's actions so far, as well as those of the Spartans, had done nothing but to prove every good intention they spoke about. He had nothing else to say in defense of his position, nor did he feel the need to do so anymore. Letting out a deep sigh, he finally relented and gestured to the five visitors to follow him out of the room. The Kino fell in line behind them, ready to record whatever the Captain had to say.

Before turning at the corner of the hallway, Rush glanced at the young man controlling the floating camera. Eli seemed unusually at ease with this whole situation, but still Rush hoped the kid would be smart enough to run away if things _did_ go wrong.

"First question. What list of people?"

* * *

"Hello, Everett."

Still stupefied by the sight before him, Young had barely registered the sound of the doors sliding open again and several footsteps as more people entered the room. It wasn't until he heard that other even more familiar voice that he reacted. He felt the strongest urge to give Col. David Telford a mighty killer handshake as he turned around to greet him, and only thanks to his military training was he able to maintain composure and limit that to a tight enough squeeze. "David, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"Even after everything I put you through?" David chuckled.

"That was three years ago. Water under the bridge."

"Technically, it should still be fresh for you."

"Right…"

That small exchange could've gone on for a while longer, had Young not been so dumbfounded by what he had seen—and continued to see—so far. Out of the small entourage of personnel that had joined him and Dr. Jackson, only two seemed to be SGC, identifiable only thanks to the general insignia provided to all BC-304 crewmembers. The rest… well, if the more elaborate design of their uniforms and numerous decorations were anything to go by, they were mostly top brass. That was the only thing Young could surmise.

One of them in particular, a gray-haired man, stood out from among the rest for one simple reason: he was the only one donning the exact same kind of uniform Young was presently wearing. A pair of deep-set, steel-gray eyes scrutinized Young, as though recognizing the face but not the person behind it. Then, grinning through a neatly trimmed full beard, he scoffed, not scornfully but amusedly. Young figured this man had only been told about the stones but was seeing them in action for the first time.

"David, what is all this?" Young whispered. "Many of these people don't look like US military or even SGC personnel."

"They're neither. But they _are_ allies, and you better start getting used to seeing them around," Telford said, though it seemed like he was controlling himself, as if he were also put off by these so-called allies.

Young didn't get to ask anything further. The door had just closed behind the last officer to enter the room, and immediately after that, a hologram appeared above the table. Just as Dr. Jackson had said, General Jack O'Neill had just joined the meeting.

_"Morning! Everyone here?"_ he began in typical O'Neill style, surveying the room. He paused when he laid eyes on Young, the same way the gray-haired man had done earlier. His reaction was completely different, however, once he seemed to recognize the Colonel behind the foreign face._ "Everett! So, you got my message. Sleep well?"_

"Surprisingly so, sir," Young replied, feeling more relaxed now that he was seeing the familiar superior officer speaking to him live, even if he wasn't there in the flesh.

_"Huh… that's a first,"_ O'Neill said, earning a smile of amusement from Young who knew perfectly well about the General's aversion to stasis pods. _"Well… good to hear it! Now, let's get down to business. Daniel, you have the floor."_

"Thank you, Jack," Dr. Jackson said, standing up. "First of all, welcome back, Col. Young. It's good to know you're still around. I assume the rest of your crew is still in stasis?"

"For the moment, yes. Aside from Eli and Rush that is. And if what Eli says is right, they may need to stay that way for a few hundred years more."

"Power issues with _Destiny_?" Telford asked. Young didn't reply, but his reaction to that admittedly true assumption seemed enough for his old friend. "Don't be so surprised, Everett. Based on Mr. Wallace's calculations, you should've arrived to the next galaxy in the ship's path a few months ago—and we've already seen how uncannily accurate his calculations can be. When you didn't report for a month after the deadline, we figured something else had gone wrong. A power shortage was only one of several likely scenarios we have been anticipating. You should have seen the other terrifying scenarios we had theorized."

"We'll get to that soon enough," Dr. Jackson chimed in. "What matters is that we now have the means to send you and your crew some much-needed help."

"You found an Icarus-type planet?" Young blurted out before he even realized it.

"No, but we did find something else, something even better," Dr. Jackson replied. "First, I'll need a few minutes to provide you with some context and fill you in about what has happened over the past year."

Young fell silent as he wondered what could possibly be better than a planet with a Naquadria core to power the Stargate. Of course, never in a million years could he have guessed the answer before the archaeologist began his part of the briefing.

* * *

"I come from a different version of the Earth you know, as I mentioned before," Lasky began. "We're a little over five-and-a-half centuries ahead of you in the timeline. Humanity has managed to venture beyond our tiny corner of the galaxy in those 500 years. We have dozens of colonies all across the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy."

"So, the Stargate has become public knowledge in this… future Earth of yours."

"Well… until less than a year ago, no one in our galaxy even knew Stargates existed—and I mean, _no-one_." Rush raised an eyebrow at this statement but said nothing. "We reached those far-away worlds the old-fashioned way," Lasky added.

"I see…" the scientist muttered. If this was true, then these people not only came from a future Earth, but an _alternate_ future Earth, if that was even a possibility. Rush tried to picture this reality where the Stargate had not even been discovered, and everything that Earth must've struggled with—like fighting the Goa'uld in a completely different way—before achieving such conquest of the stars. Then he pushed the thought aside. There was something more important that he needed to ask.

"So, how exactly did you cross from a future alternate universe into our own?"

"We didn't, and neither did your people." Rush stopped walking upon hearing this, and Lasky and the Spartans paused along with him as the Captain continued speaking. "Both your version of Earth and ours coexist in the same universe, in the same local group of galaxies as a matter of fact."

"That's not possible," Rush said in disbelief.

"That's the exact same thing we all thought, but I assure you, it is. And you have the Furlings to thank for it."

"The Furlings?"

"As a member of the SGC, you've must heard of the Alliance of Four Great Races and, thus, of the Furlings."

"Only what precious little we've learned of them."

"You will soon learn much, _much_ more," Lasky said, resuming his stroll. "Our Earth is located in the Furling home galaxy, where most other races still know them as the Forerunners."

As they kept going, Lasky told Rush of a race so incredibly advanced they could influence other civilizations' progress by discreetly manipulating their genetic composition, among other things. Rush's curiosity was piqued when the Captain mentioned this race's ability to build planets, natural and artificial alike; this particular bit of information seemed eerily familiar, given _Destiny_'s past encounter with a world that, for all accounts, shouldn't have existed in the first place.

According to the UNSC Captain, the Furlings, having proclaimed themselves as 'Forerunners' early on in their history, had established a vast empire across the Milky Way over several millennia, maintaining peace among all other races that inhabited the galaxy. Then, one hundred thousand years ago, they had encountered the Flood, a parasitic species hell-bent on consuming any sentient life forms in its path. After 300 years fighting an impossible war, the Forerunners had employed their last resort to secure victory over the Flood: an array of superweapons, capable of eradicating all sentient life in the galaxy, called Halo.

Rush listened, fascinated, as Lasky described these massive, ring-shaped structures that were designed not only to deprive the Flood from their food supply but also, ironically, as artificial worlds capable of sustaining life. The captain also explained that, in order to repopulate the galaxy once the Flood were starved to death, the Forerunners had implemented measures to preserve specimens from as many species as possible, humans included, in the Ark—an immense Forerunner installation that had built the Halo rings and also served as a safe haven from the Array. After the rings were fired, those specimens had been returned to their planets of origin, which, in the case of ancient humans, was Erde-Tyrene. This world, Lasky clarified, would come to be known millennia later as Earth, the same Earth where the UNSC originated.

The Forerunners, believing they had failed the galaxy by allowing the Flood to consume so much of it, had planted seeds in the genetic makeup of Erde-Tyrene humans, whom they deemed worthy to reclaim their so-called 'Mantle of Responsibility', along with everything the Forerunners had ever created. Such seeds were meant to guide humanity as they evolved towards this Reclamation. Then, the few surviving members of the great race had left the Milky Way forever to begin their 'Great Journey' towards redemption, leaving humans behind as their inheritors…

* * *

…only to find a different version of the same life form as they reached Pegasus. These other humans, who had built an impressive network of transportation devices called Stargates, were the Lanteans. The Ancients.

Young, of course, knew who the Ancients were, but he could see Dr. Jackson was narrating things from an outsider's perspective, so he said nothing to interrupt. How the archaeologist he had found out all this information in detail, from the perspective the Furlings nonetheless, was astonishing. While trying not to be so thorough, Dr. Jackson still provided enough detail when explaining how the Forerunners, having had very little interaction with the Lanteans during their time on Pegasus, had eventually reached Avalon, the Ancients' home galaxy. Here, once again, in a planet named Terra by the Ancients, they had found humans in a much more primitive stage, closer to the ones left behind by the Forerunners on Erde-Tyrene.

This recurrent encounter with so many versions of the same form cemented the Forerunners' belief that humans were indeed destined to inherit the Mantle of Responsibility, not only within the confines of one galaxy but throughout many more. Adopting Avalon as their new home galaxy, the Forerunners, under the original name of their species, took it upon themselves to 'guide' these humans as well—genetically influencing their evolution as well.

Later, when the Furlings met the Asgard, the Nox, and the Ancients who had fled from the Wraith in Pegasus, the Alliance of Four Great Races was forged; in time, these other races came to support the Furlings' plan in regards to mankind, especially when intervention by the Goa'uld drastically changed things for Terran humans. This, Dr. Jackson explained, mostly accounted for the 500-year historical difference between the 'original' Earth and the Earth Young had been born in.

The Alliance did as much as they could to liberate the Terrans—called Tau'ri by the Goa'uld—and other human populations across the galaxy for as long as they could, until only the Asgard remained. One Furling in particular, who had taken it upon himself to become a scribe of sorts for the Alliance, had compiled a record of these historic events within the repository of knowledge that SG-1 had found in their first year of galactic exploration. At the end of this Furling's life, and with the help of the de-Ascended Ancient Merlin, a copy of said record was taken back to Atlantis and hidden in its database.

"That same record," Dr. Jackson said, "included a nine-chevron Gate address that led to the Ark. It turns out that the Forerunners had also kept there a collection of Stargates—the type built by the Ancient seed ships that preceded _Destiny_. Located a couple hundred thousand light years beyond what we used to call the Andromeda galaxy, we were actually able to dial this particular nine-chevron address without requiring too much power. Then a series of… unexpected events allowed us to connect with our brothers in this galaxy."

That answered Young's question without even having to ask it.

At this point, the archaeologist's history lesson picked up speed. In less than half the time he'd taken to tell the story of the Furlings, he how exactly both groups of humans had met, how they had been thrown into a new war against the reawakened Flood, and how together they had managed to repurpose the Halo Array to defeat them _without_ wiping out every other living being in the galaxy—or, rather, in three galaxies.

By this point in the briefing, Everett's head was spinning, so much so that his mind barely registered when Telford took over and _finally_ got to what concerned Young the most. "…through this alliance with the UNSC," he said, "the SGC and Homeworld Command has gained access to a Halo ring, which holds infinitely more power than an Icarus-type planet ever could. We've already brought a Stargate to the installation, and—as you can probably tell—we have been able to dial out successfully to _Destiny_."

"So," Young asked slowly, "you're, uh… you're dialing _Destiny_ from one of these… Halos? From _that_ Halo?" He pointed outside the window.

"As many times as needed," Telford asserted with a wide smile, "supplies and manpower alike. This mission will be reinforced by personnel from both Stargate Command and the UNSC."

"Well," Everett chuckled, which was the only thing he could really do after _that_ briefing. "I gotta say, this discovery of yours could've come in real handy a few years—wait…" He paused when his brain finally caught up to his comrade's latest statement. "UNSC too?"

* * *

"More people? No, no, no, that would be a mistake," Rush countered, alarmed by the notion.

Having just reached the Gate Room, Lasky seemed instantly enthralled by the ancestral transportation device. He didn't try to refute Rush right away, instead taking a moment to admire the Stargate from up close. Nicholas wondered whether this was the first time the captain saw an actual Gate or if he was just contemplating the fact that this was among the oldest Stargates in existence. As far as he could tell, the man seemed more appreciative of the smaller things others would take for granted. Rush actually valued that, but that didn't mean he would just accept what the captain and his people intended to do, not without making them understand the disparity of it.

"In case you haven't noticed," Rush continued, "the ship is low on power—power which we're _lucky_ to have. It will barely be enough for one very short FTL jump that will take us to the edge of the closest suitable star system. After that, we'll be _drifting_ towards its star. The-the crew will need to remain in stasis until _Destiny_ recharges its reserves—and by then, several decades will have already passed, maybe even a century. These people you've already sent? I'm afraid there are no additional stasis pods for them."

"Dr. Rush, you're missing the point," he said without taking his eyes off the metal ring, caressing it even. "Your power issues have already been taken into consideration. We wouldn't have sent anyone here otherwise."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware you could bring a portable star with you."

Nicholas' old ego was showing. Deep down, he knew his sarcastic response wasn't fair to Lasky or the people he represented, not when they were trying to help. Still, until he knew that the UNSC had a solid plan to help them, he needed to make sure they wouldn't just make things worse.

Surprisingly, when Lasky finally gave Rush his undivided attention again, he was chuckling. "If you only knew how close to the truth that statement is."

* * *

"Now, I believe it's time for proper introductions," Telford said. "Everett, meet Captain Adrian Thatch of the UNSC Navy. He will be in direct command of all UNSC personnel aboard _Destiny_—and in joint command, along with you, of the ship's mission at large."

The gray-haired man sporting the same uniform as Young's stood from his chair and held out his hand to him. "I've heard so many good things about you, Colonel," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. "I look forward to meeting you in the flesh and to be working with you to fulfill _Destiny_'s age-old mission."

Everett shook Captain Thatch's hand out of respect but kept his eyes on Telford. "You say you have a way to replenish the ship's reserves?" he asked.

"We _may_ have it," replied a blonde in more civilian-like clothing who, despite her young age, held an air of authority. "A star's surface—which _Destiny_ usually flies through to replenish its reserves—is essentially plasma. Some of our other… allies have been harnessing plasma as a power source for centuries. Now, if our specialists' theory is correct, we could interface a few plasma cells to _Destiny_'s power plant, providing enough energy to at least get to the nearest star in a few hours instead of a few hundred years."

"However," Captain Thatch took over, "we need to send these specialists along with the aforementioned equipment. They may be the only ones with the proper knowledge on how to plug those cells into the ship."

Everett nodded. Compared to what Dr. Jackson had explained earlier, this information was straightforward and easy to digest. "How long would it take them to be ready?"

"They're already standing by at the Gate as we speak," Telford said. "If we're to send the main group ASAP, there's no time to waste."

* * *

"Even _if_ your specialists can somehow replenish _Destiny_'s reserves," Rush contended as they reached the observation deck, "sending more people is not an option. We're short on habitable space as it is, and—"

"They can help restore _Destiny_ to its former glory."

_That_ gave Rush a pause.

"Come now, Dr. Rush," Lasky continued. "Surely you didn't think we were opening a supply line to send more personnel and supplies on a whim. By having the right people here to study every last detail of this ship—including the composition of the materials it's made of—we intend to seal every hull breach, fix every system, and maybe even improve all of _Destiny_'s capabilities."

This time, it was Rush who couldn't take his eyes off the view outside the domed window. Not the stars—_forget about that!_—but the ship itself. His mind started visualizing the possibilities that Lasky had just described. Like a fast-motion picture, he saw the multiple golden layers keeping the ship's atmosphere from venting, fading one by one as actual metal filled in the gaps; millennia-old rust replaced by polished alloys, much like their 'miracle' remaining shuttle; he even imagined a space battle with _all_ of the gun emplacements he had such an aversion for, firing without a hitch—and without draining so much bloody power.

And what if _Destiny_ could also receive the kind of stuff that could be found in Earth's _Daedalus_-class ships? Asgard shields and weapons, beaming technology, complementary sensors… the list went on. The scientist's mind was only beginning to scratch the surface of what they could all do with such upgrades—what _Destiny_ could accomplish. For the first time in probably the ship's entire existence, she would have access to a wealth of resources not available at the time of its creation.

Then perhaps… just perhaps… the crew could see her mission fulfilled in their lifetime.

"_Destiny_ restored…" Rush said, barely above a whisper.

"Now you're getting the picture."

* * *

The conference room door slid open again, making way for a female Spartan in silver-white armor. This time, at least—and unlike the Spartans back aboard _Destiny_—Young could tell the tall brunette with the short ponytail was a female because she was wearing no helmet. "Sorry to interrupt, sirs, ma'am. We need Cpt. Lasky back on _Infinity_'s bridge," she said, gesturing at Young. "Orders come from the top."

The UNSC brass nodded while General O'Neill sighed overdramatically. _"Sounds like you'll have to welcome those teams aboard _Destiny_ in person, Everett. It was glad to have you back, at least for a while. We'll keep in touch."_

Young barely had time to nod in reply before the hologram faded. Everyone else in the room began standing up from their chairs while Cpt. Thatch approached Young. "I will be joining your crew shortly," he said, stretching a hand out to Young. "In the meantime, please, take good care of my crew."

The Colonel shook the Captain's hand and nodded but said nothing. He simply couldn't speak; he was still trying to process what he'd just learned about the so-called UNSC specialists (and, damn, what an astonishing bunch they would turn out to be!). As if _that_ were not enough, his mind was still reeling from all the information that had been dumped on him. The Forerunners, the Halos, another Earth in the same universe with nearly the same history…

He couldn't imagine it had been any easier for the people who were actually there—SG-1, the guys from Atlantis, etcetera—as it all unfolded, but at least they had gone through that process of discovery. They had had time. _He_ was just waking up after three years, expecting only a reasonable degree of progress on his comrades' part back home. This went light years beyond anything he could've imagined.

* * *

"So, this is the Apple Core," Lasky said, grinning mirthfully at the fitting description given to the Control Interface by the rest of the crew. "Is there any way we can plug Eunice into any of these ports? She might be able to help speed up the power replenishment process if she can gain access to the ship's sys—"

_"No!"_

Rush was startled by the sudden cry of anguish that came from the Kino. This was the first time Eli spoke since they had left the communications room. Naturally, all eyes turned to look at the floating camera. _"That… may not be such a good idea. I-I mean, we don't know how _Destiny_ might react if a foreign AI is plugged into her systems."_

_"Mr. Wallace, I assume?" _Eunice replied through the lead Spartan's wrist device. By now, Rush was already more or less familiarized with her; the AI had supplied him with plenty of visual aids in the form of holograms throughout Lasky's briefing. _"There's nothing to worry about. It wouldn't be the first time two AIs are interfaced to the same ship."_

_"Was any of the two AIs in those cases an _alien_ AI?"_ Eli fired back.

Nicholas feared this would become a heated argument any moment now. It probably would've, had the UNSC Captain not shifted posture drastically while Eli was still talking. "Rush? Why are we here?" he asked, studying his surroundings.

The scientist, of course, knew what this meant. "Colonel Young. What happened? Who did you meet with?"

"It was General O'Neill alright," Young replied after a moment. And Dr. Jackson. _And_ Telford. They were aboard a ship in orbit of… some kind of ring-shaped world."

"Halo," Rush muttered, remembering the name Cpt. Lasky had used for the massive rings. Young nodded in acknowledgement. "Were there any people from the, uh, UNSC?"

"Too many of them, yes. But it seems they're legitimate, at least as far as I can tell." The Colonel then addressed the super-soldiers directly. "Spartans, I was told to let you know that Cpt. Lasky had to go back to _Infinity_ before scheduled. You're to stand by at the Gate Room now to receive the next group."

"Understood, sir," the lead Spartan replied without hesitation. The four armored figures put their helmets back on with the same synchrony as they had removed them earlier, and left the room.

Young watched them go before turning to Rush. "Ok, spit it out."

"What?" Rush looked confused, but even he couldn't keep his face anonymous this time.

"You know what I mean. It's written all over your face."

"Oh, you know me sooo well."

"Kind of hard not to after being stuck together on a ship for 2 years."

"Coming up on five and a half years, actually."

"You know what I mean," Young deadpanned while Rush rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you have something to say, so spit it out."

Rush looked in the direction the Spartans left the room. "I don't know, Colonel. Their story seems plausible, to an extent. My main concern is the ship. If it falls into enemy hands…"

"It won't. They are trusted allies of the SGC and of Earth."

"You don't sound so convinced."

Young said nothing. He knew if he said anything then he wouldn't be able to hold back his own doubts about the UNSC 'personnel' they were planning on sending. So instead, he went with the regular answer to every order he had gotten. "Homeworld Command knows what they're doing."

"Right," Rush said, unconvincingly.

"For now, we'll have to trust their judgement and hope that it all works out," Young said before lowering his voice so that the Kino couldn't hear. "How's Eli taking it?"

"Good, I guess," Rush seemed agitated at the subject. "He seems to trust them, though the notion of plugging in another AI into the Apple Core turned him into a wild animal for a moment."

Colonel Young frowned. "That doesn't sound like Eli. Doesn't sound like him at all."

"Even I was surprised at first," Rush agreed. "Maybe something went wrong while he was in stasis. On the other hand, whatever concerns Eli has, he was right about the alien AI part."

"What alien AI?" Young asked.

"You know, the ship's automated programming that enables it to know when we're in danger or in need of help," Rush replied.

"Oh, _that_ AI." Young got lost in thought for a moment. "But why would Eli refuse? It can't be harder than uploading an entire consciousness into _Destiny_."

"It might have something to do with the fact that Eli believes _Destiny _has an actual mind and soul of its own."

"I wasn't aware Eli actually thought of it as an entity."

"Regardless, Colonel, as much as I would love to get into the basics of man-made technology and alien technology usually not functioning together as intended, I fear this isn't the time."

As soon as he said that, the room began to shake similarly to what had happened when the long-distance wormhole had started about a half hour ago. _"We have another incoming wormhole,"_ Eli said, his voice coming through the Kino.

"You were saying about time, Dr. Rush?" Young asked with a small smile.

Rush gave the Colonel his annoyed look. "Don't. Just, don't."

* * *

_Whew, talk about a close call!_ Eli thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

He watched as the Spartans disappeared from the Kino's field of view while Young and Rush continued discussing this peculiar turn of events, but he had a hard time concentrating on what they were saying. Not because he was having a hard time processing everything that Captain Lasky had told them—although the first part about the Forerunners or Furlings or whatever was a bit tough to swallow—but because of the captain's suggestion to interface their AI to the ship's systems.

What Eli found disconcerting about it, more than anything, was his own reaction to this idea. One would think that having two AIs operating a spaceship would be advantageous. So, why would he be so concerned about Eunice being plugged into _Destiny_'s systems? Moreover, why did the simple thought of it keep sending shivers down his spine?

It didn't take much for him to figure that out, though. _He _wasn't the one terrified by this. It was _Destiny_. He was just reflecting her fear.

Oh, he'd quickly grown used to feeling what _Destiny_ felt through the connection they had developed. Rush could keep dismissing the Ancient AI as nothing more than a rudimentary program designed to keep the ship going, but Eli knew better. In the time he'd spent alone wandering her hallways three years ago, he had come to understand that _Destiny_ was a living entity with independent thoughts and, yes, even feelings. She may not have been created that way by the Ancients at first, but she had evolved over the last few million years. Eli had learned to respect _Destiny_ as though she were a flesh-and-blood person—and _that_ had been his saving grace.

That particular sense of dread that had just overcome him, however, was not something he looked forward to feeling ever again. Unfortunately for Eli, _Destiny_ didn't seem willing to elaborate further on the foreign AI matter right now, and until she decided to open up about it, he was in the dark. All he could hope for at the moment was that no one else would try to connect Eunice to any of the ship's consoles just yet.

The soft vibration they'd felt earlier started reverberating again throughout the compartments closest to the Gate room, proving enough to break Eli's train of thought. Like last time, he knew exactly what was causing it. "We have another incoming wormhole," he told the Colonel and the scientist through the Ancient floating camera.

Upon hearing this, and after one last short banter between the two men, the Colonel and the scientist walked behind one of the Control Interface consoles. They tuned in to the feed from the Kino still stationed at the Gate room, their reaction calmer now but still somewhat wary.

By the time the connection was made, the Spartans had already taken positions by the left and right sides of the Stargate. Not long after that, the first newcomer flew through the event horizon—quite literally, flew. It somehow managed to slow down on its own and stay afloat without as much as touching the floor, or any other hard surface. This being was a bulbous bioluminescent creature with a long snake-like head protruding from a spherical shaped body. From what Eli could tell, the neck was actually coming out of a mechanical part in the spherical body, as if the creature was part flesh and part machine.

The second such creature to come through the Gate followed the exact same pattern, with a third one soon joining the group. Only then did Eli notice that all three of the snail-looking beings were holding equipment parts within their four tentacles, which had sprouted from underneath each of the bulbous beings as soon as they exited the event horizon. Each tentacle suddenly split into several cilia, which even Eli could barely see, and quickly began assembling the components they had brought with them.

These had to be the 'specialists' Captain Lasky had been telling them about just before entering the Control Interface Room. Huragok, he had called them—an artificial life form created by the Forerunners to maintain their technology, capable of fixing virtually anything that could be broken. Clearly, they were also quite adept at building stuff; it barely took them a second to finish putting together… whatever it was that they had brought with them.

The device seemed simple enough: three V-shaped components no bigger than a person's chest. One of the Huragok floated to the top of the Stargate and placed the component it was holding right in front of the Gate bearing; the other two placed the remaining two components on each side of the Stargate. The only thing that betrayed the device's alien nature was that, once powered up, each component remained held in place without aid from the Huragok. Its purpose soon became apparent when yet another newcomer stepped through the Stargate, for this time, they came through without tumbling across the room.

_It's an inertial-dampening field_, Eli realized.

But even though he was impressed by the usefulness of this device, it was this new arrival that caught Eli's attention the most, as it was markedly different from the six-eyed floating creatures. Considerably taller than the Spartans—and also clad in armor—the imposing reptile-looking being only remained disoriented for a fraction of a second. Then, as it began scanning the room through predatory eyes, Eli noticed the mandibles on its face clicking together. Its jaws were quadruple-hinged, with an upper jaw and four lower mandibles arranged in two tiers… pretty much like 'the Predator' from those sci-fi movies he so enjoyed watching. Had it not been for the impassive stance of the Spartans, Eli would've panicked. As it was, he could only shake his head in disbelief.

"And here I thought things couldn't get any weirder…" he said out loud.

* * *

**A/N: I could've sworn I had uploaded this chapter months ago…**

**Guess I must've gotten caught up with my other projects. (_AdmiralWhiteFang_, my sincerest apologies, partner O.O)**

**Anyway, just as I did for this episode, I'll be writing author's notes only at the beginning of the first part and at the end of the second. Hopefully, this will also give each two-chapter episode some degree of continuity.**

**I want to assure everyone that the introduction of the UNSC party will not cause all problems aboard _Destiny_ to go away immediately (like a certain comic book series tried to do with the introduction of an Ancient crew). We all wish to see that ship restored, but not at the cost of what made SGU unique. You will see what I mean as time goes by and the story unfolds.**

**I'm not sure how many of you have read this already, but I'd like to explain briefly a couple of things. First of all, for better or for worse, I no longer have as much time in my hands as I used to when I was still in college six years ago. Nowadays, I have to work a lot to provide for my home. No, I'm not married nor with children now; as a matter of fact, at nearly 30 years old, I'm still very much single. But I do have a mother with some health issues to look after (although I'm hoping she _will_ get better in the near future).**

**On top of that, the sheer amount of ideas that I have for my stories—side projects like one-shots, three-shots, spin-offs, etc.—coupled with the random way in which I've been writing them and my insistence on alternating between each of them, will more than likely mean even longer intervals between updates…**

**UNLESS I CAN FIND PARTNERS.**

**I haven't told you all of this just to bother you with details about my personal life. Rather, I wanted to give you people some context as to why I'm currently looking for partners to work with; not just for TFRR, but for the rest of my projects too.**

**As I have mentioned before, I've already partnered up with _AdmiralWhiteFang_ here on FanFiction to get this spin-off up and running, and his help has been invaluable. However, if series like Stargate and games like Halo can teach us something is that, for a good story to be developed in a shorter amount of time, a team of writers working closely and pitching ideas back and forth is absolutely necessary.**

**I have an outline of what I want to explore in both TFRR:U and SGU:S3, but it needs development. There are things missing here and there, and I'm certain some of you may have some pretty great ideas that you'd like to see come to life. For anyone interested in this, you can PM me so we can discuss this in further detail. I'll be more than glad to find all the help I can get.**

**And for those of you who are content to simply read and await more… please don't forget to review on your way out! :)**

**EDIT: It seems I uploaded the wrong file a few minutes ago. It's been corrected. ^^**


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